Media associated with this campaign

Overview of this campaign

A majority of the 330 mn deities in India are goddesses. Yet, a Reuters survey ranked India the 4th most dangerous country for women. We rank 130 among 180 countries on Gender Inequality Index.

Our constitution recognizes equal rights for women, we have more women leaders than any other country, yet the girl child has a lesser chance to be born than a boy.

We have 943 girls to 1000 boys. An estimated 6 mn girls were aborted in the last decade by parents determined to have a son.

If they do win the macabre obstacle race to birth, the girl child is less likely to be fed, be educated, or have a right over property. She’s more likely to be married off early, be killed for dowry, have acid thrown on her face, die during childbirth, or to have anemia.

Our PM appealed to “stop discriminating between girls and boys.”

Dainik Jagran set afoot on the long road to creating an equal world for ‘half of humanity’. The challenge was doing it in a society where economics and hunger drove decisions, and the girl child was a dispensable commodity. In times where rhetoric prevailed over genuine intent, where gender wasn’t anybody’s priority, where economic growth only strengthened prejudices against the girl child, it was time we stirred the conscience of Indians. What if we gave the girl child a vehicle to express herself and talk to India directly? After all, she had every right to a life with dignity. Through Daughters’ Diary, we invited 957 girls to express their view on status of women in contemporary India. In a significant leap of faith we handed over the editorial reins of the newspaper to 72 girls on 11th Oct – International Day of Girl Child. Objectives :

- Lend a 1st person voice on the gender issue

- Demonstrate a view of the world from a girl’s perspective

- Not sell more copies, but propel Dainik Jagran as an agenda-setting newspaper

Results for this campaign

11th Oct is International Day of the Girl Child. It draws attention towards addressing challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment. An investment in realizing the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future.

One month before 11th Oct, we invited 957 girls to write a first person account of the world from their view. These 957 stories, laid bare the gaping holes in our patriarchal society. There were stories of anguish, of silent cries, of unnoticed sacrifices, of arbitrary rules, of daily humiliation. But there were stories of hope, of ambition, of aspirations, of the supreme power of the human spirit, of optimism and the will to change the world.

These 957 stories reached out to 52.5 mn readers

On 11th Oct, we invited 72 girls across 21 different cities to be Dainik Jagran’s Guest Editors. They trained in our newsrooms and created their version of the newspaper. On 11th October, 52.5mn Readers woke up to a newspaper which spoke about an issue often dusted under the carpet. It was a newspaper that stirred the collective conscience of millions of Indians.

We demonstrated a larger intent on the gender issue. We created a platform for the girls to directly voice their opinion on the world. It was a uniquely fulfilling experiment to see the “subject” becoming the “spokesperson”. It gave the girls a sense of empowerment. It amplified their voice. It sent out a signal that investing in the girl child is investing in peace and prosperity. It brought to light the truth that India chooses to ignore – that economic growth does not automatically mean gender justice.

IMPACT ON BRAND : Not only was Dainik Jagran the 1st newspaper in India to cross the 70 mn* Readership mark, we also had the Highest Brand Awareness, Brand Likeability and Brand Health Scores, apart from leading in several brand imagery parameters.**